What you need to know:
  • ann = animal nerds network
  • ann is a mobile app for both Apple & Android devices
  • ann uses photos to map the location of the animal problem
  • ann is like a visual 9-1-1 system for animal problems
  • ann is FREE for non-profit animal rescue groups
  • ann uses a community of animal experts to remotely triage the animal problem
  • ann connects you with the nearby animal rescuers
  • ann is moderated with an iron fist - moderators reject any photo that is not of an animal
  • ann requires you to sign up with a phone number so we can block anonymous trolls
Links to the app stores
Get ann on the Apple App Store
Get ann on Google Play Store

What is the core idea behind ann?

When people come across a wild animal situation or problem, they don't know who to contact. ann solves this problem. Using the app, take a picture of the animal situation. In real time, the ann community will look at the photo, the location and advise you what to do. An animal photo that includes the date, time and location (aka geotagged) is super informative for animal experts and rescue groups!

To explain ann, we have annotated this screenshot from the home page of the app. For animal rescuers, there is a lot of info here.
Just upload the photo and the ann app gathers the rest of the info such as date, time and nearby address.
The Hotline Report is shared in real time with everybody in the animal rescue group. This is one way that ann improves volunteer communication.
We are working on including other info like: weather, tide, sunset, sunrise, moonlight and traffic.
To promote this idea (photo, metadata, map), we are giving it the name "annie." The selfie is one of the most popular trends of the past decade. Annies are like a selfie, but have some differences.
  • subject is an animal not a person
  • photo is geotagged with the date, time, location
  • selfies are fun/goofy while annies are for real animal problems
  • to help a hurt animal, you have to know exactly where it is

Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the intended audience?
  • Regular people - people out for a walk that come across a hurt or lost animal
  • Leaders and members of non-profit animal rescue groups
  • Animal experts that can give advice - wherever they are in the world
How will the ann app help animal rescue groups?
Answer Part 1:
There are thousands of mostly-volunteer animal groups around the world. Those animal groups and their volunteers do not get enough credit. By using ann, these animal group volunteers will document their efforts. The free digital tools will get some visibility to the valuable services that they provide to their communities. This digital documentation will also help with reporting and accreditation.
Answer Part 2:
For most animal rescue groups, volunteers play an important role. The purpose of ann is to help animal rescue groups to recruit, engage, communicate with and retain volunteers.
Answer Part 3:
The ann app also helps with coordinating and communicating with volunteers. Leaders of animal groups are super busy. By using the ann app, which is always in your pocket, you'll be better able to manage your limited volunteer resources.
What is ann?
The ann app is like a visual 9-1-1 system for animal problems, situations or emergencies. ann is an app for improving animal rescue.
How much does ann cost?
ann is free for regular people. ann is free for animal rescue groups that are non-profit and mostly volunteers. There *might* be a charge for government affiliated animal care and control agencies and veterinary clinics.
How will ann pay the bills?
In most cases, ann is free and *may* run ads alongside the content.
Will ann work on my mobile device?
ann works on Apple or Android devices. In the USA, the most popular devices are the iPhone/iPad and Samsung Galaxy. ann works on both.
Get ann on the Apple App Store
Get ann on Google Play Store
Why did Bert design this product?
Bert was a volunteer field investigator for an animal rescue group. Being a field investigator is exciting and rewarding, but there are some challenges which Bert felt could be addressed by a mobile phone app. Some of those challenges were:
  • the Reporting Person gives the wrong animal location
  • highway traffic jams getting to the animal
  • the animal gets spooked and leaves
  • forgetting to bring the right equipment
  • having to hike a long distance to get to the animal
  • need other teammates with more experience or knowledge
  • the animal is on private property
  • the animal is in a gated community
  • uninformed, aggressive or tipsy people
  • off leash dogs
  • a beach that is packed with people, kids, dogs, frisbees, tourists...
  • incoming high tide or bad weather
  • sunset / darkness
How will ann ensure content quality?
Moderators approve all new reports and photos. All users of the ann app must register with their phone number. We will block any bad behavior. The leaders of animal rescue groups will vouch for their members.
How will the Hotline Operator get the photos from the civilian Reporting Person?
The Hotline Operator will ask the Reporting Person to send photos of the distressed animal via text message. Then the Hotline Operator will use the photos to create the Hotline Report.
Help Getting Started - Meet with Bert
Bert is available to meet with you or your group to show you how ann works. Bert will do video calls (Zoom, Facetime, Google Hangout..) to walk the early adopters through the process of installing the app and answer any questions. If possible, Bert will visit in person.

But our animal rescue group is unique!?!?
Each animal rescue group is unique, but also the same. Each group has processes and procedures that will be unique to them. But there are also many similar workflows. (see next item for examples) The ann app allows each group to customize their information and workflows. For example some groups will come pickup an injured animal. Others don't. In your group profile, you can customize such things.
Is there an example of different processes and procedures?
Nearly every animal rescue group has a toll free Hotline Phone Number and Hotline Operators to answer those calls. However, not all animal rescue groups have "Field Investigators" who will go out and check on the animal in the wild. Some animal rescue groups do not transport animals. Civilians or other first responders will have to bring the animal to their facility. Depending on the animal species, handling or capturing a distressed animal can be risky. It takes valuable time and resources to train members/volunteers to investigate an animal out in the wild. The leaders of each animal rescue group make decisions about their service levels and processes and procedures to support those services.
Why show the county?
In the USA, county is an important geographic designation. Many animal rescue groups indicate their coverage area by specifying the counties where they will rescue an animal. As ann grows to support other countries, the app is built to show other geographic names like a province in Canada.

Workflow Example
ann is addressing animal rescue groups with the following workflow.
A Call Comes Into The Hotline Operator
A civilian - also known as the Reporting Person (RP) - sees an animal in distress and calls the Hotline phone (1-800 …) for a local Animal Rescue Group. The animal rescue group has several volunteer Hotline Operators who take turns answering the Hotline phone.

The Hotline Operator talks to the reporting person to collect some information about the distressed animal. The animal location, animal type and animal condition are some of the important pieces of information collected from the civilian Reporting Person.

The Hotline Operator will decide if the distressed animal is:
  1. the type of animal that the animal rescue group handles
  2. in the jurisdiction of the animal rescue group

The Hotline Operator judges the credibility and appropriateness of the civilian’s information. If the Hotline Operator decides that it is a distressed animal that is appropriate for the animal rescue group, then the Hotline Operator will contact volunteers that are on call as Field Investigators.

Field Investigators - Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
The Animal Rescue Group has several volunteers who are on call as Field Investigators. A Field Investigator is a trained volunteer who has the job of going out into the field and tracking down the distressed animal.

A Field Investigator will tell the Hotline Operator if they are able to go check out the distressed animal. Many times, a Field Investigator has a day job and volunteers with the animal rescue group on the side. If the Field Investigator is at their day job, they may not be able to check on the distressed animal. Some Field Investigators will use their lunch break to go quickly track down a distressed animal.

If they can go, the Field Investigator will give the Hotline Operator an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) indicating when they will get to the general location of the distressed animal.

Oftentimes, the Hotline Operator will have to reach out to several Field Investigators to find one who can go check on the distressed animal. Sometimes, nobody is available to check on a distressed animal.

The Hotline Operator may call back the civilian Reporting Person to let them know that the Field Investigator (an Animal Rescue Group volunteer) is on the way and their ETA.

Eyes On Report
The Field Investigator tracks down the animal - or not. If unable to find the animal, the Field Investigator will report back to the Hotline Operator Unable to Locate (UTL).

If the Field Investigator is able to find the distressed animal, then the next step is to start assessing the location, the animal and any people or other animals nearby.

After securing a perimeter around the distressed animal and letting any people know what is going on (educating the public), the Field Investigator will complete an Eyes On Report.

The Eyes On Report assesses the distressed animal and the location of the animal. Photos are a part of the Eyes On Report. The final piece of the Eyes On Report is a recommendation. The Field Investigator makes a suggestion as to what to do with the distressed animal:
  • leave the animal alone and continue to observe
  • relocate the animal
  • rescue and rehab the animal - transport to a rehab facility

Animal Rescue Group Leadership - The Rescue Decision
The Animal Rescue Group Leadership team receives the Eyes On Report and has the final authority to make the decision about what to do with the distressed animal. After reviewing the Eyes On Report, the Leadership will communicate to Field Investigator their decision to either:
  1. observe
  2. relocate
  3. rescue

If the Leadership decides to rescue the distressed animal, a unique ID or code is given to the rescue operation.

Sometimes they get away. It is not unusual for the weather, the ocean tide, daylight, animal skittishness or other circumstances to prevent rescuing the distressed animal.

Animal Rescue - People
Rescuing a distressed animal usually requires two or more people. The Field Investigator may have to wait for backup to perform the animal rescue.

Animal Rescue - Equipment
Rescuing an animal also requires specific equipment. Animal Rescue Groups often struggle with equipment resources. The necessary equipment may be on the other side of town and a rescue operation may have to wait for equipment to be delivered.

Animal Rescue - Planning
Before rescuing or capturing a distressed animal, the Field Investigators will huddle up and work out a rescue plan that takes into consideration safety and all environmental factors.

Animal Transport
If the Field Investigators are able to capture the distressed animal, then they will transport it to a facility of the Animal Rescue Group. At the facility, the distressed animal will be thoroughly evaluated and given an ID (usually just a number).
Revisiting An Animal
Some animals don't need to be rescued - usually they are just napping. Some animals are too big to be rescued or captured. Instead of a rescue, the Animal Rescue Group may decide to place a distressed animal under observation. If the distressed animal is on land, this means setting up a perimeter around the distressed animal and checking back in on the animal later in the day. Or over the course of several days.

Each time a Field Investigator revisits an animal under observation, a new Eyes On Report is submitted. So one animal case may have many Eyes On Reports.
Reports
Over the course of a month, the above workflow will happen many times in the Animal Rescue Group. The Animal Rescue Group needs to keep track of all the calls to the Hotline Operator, all the times they send Field Investigators into the field, all the observe / relocate / rescue decisions, all the rescued animals, etc. Governments and scientists usually require monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
The ann app has (or is working on) functions and features to support the above workflow and situations:
  • Group Member Management
  • Hotline Operators / Hotline Reports
  • Field Investigator ETAs
  • Eyes On Reports
  • Rescue Authorizations
  • Recheck Requests
  • Close a Case
  • Monthly Reports (PDF documents)
Who are the potential customers / users?
  • Animal Rescue Groups
  • Animal Shelters (for example the humane society)
  • Animal Control / Services / Care (e.g. local government related “dog catcher”)
  • State Departments of Fish & Wildlife
  • Biologists, Marine Biologists, Botanists ..
  • Breed specific dog / cat rescue groups (e.g. greyhound rescue)
  • Zoos
  • Animal Sanctuaries / Marine Sanctuaries
What are some of the ideas behind ann?
  • 9-1-1 for wild animal problems
  • Real time reporting of distressed animals
  • Centralize reporting of animal problems
  • Reduce confusion about who to call for animal problems (nobody calls anymore, we txt)
  • Standardize reporting of animal problems
  • Use new technologies like mobile phones, GPS, Google Maps, cloud technologies, etc.
  • Apply some social media concepts to the animal health care industry
  • Locate nearby animal experts
  • Match an animal problem to a nearby animal rescue group
  • Allow animal rescue groups free technology tools so they can focus on their core skills
What is an Animal Nerd?
Animal nerds are animal experts. Some animal nerds have credentials or certifications. Other animal nerds just have a lot of experience around animals. Some folks grew up on a farm or ranch or were around animals all of their lives. Animal nerds usually understand animal behavior, needs, psychology and biology.
Does ann have a motto or slogan?
The current slogan is: “Improve Animal Rescue”

But we are open to slogan suggestions.

Here are some other ideas for a slogan:
  • Reduce Animal Suffering
  • Solve Animal Problems
  • Connect To Animal Experts
  • Improve the Animal World
Here are some app description ideas:
  • Improving real time communication within Animal Rescue Groups
  • Visual triage or photo-based-triage of a distressed animal
  • Mobile phone enabling animal rescue
  • Internet enabling animal health care
  • Digitizing animal health care
  • Connecting animal problems to animal experts
  • Platform / Marketplace for the animal care industry
  • Better Tools for Better Animal Health
Here are some Like X For Y comparisons:
  • Like Uber for locating distressed animals
  • Like AirBnB for animal rescue groups
  • Like Etsy for the animal care industry
Here are some other use cases being considered:
About Bert Ryan

Bert is an entrepreneur and software architect/engineer focusing on the healthcare and environmental industries. He worked at IBM for 20 years and has been developing software systems for 30 years on over 60 software projects. Bert grew up in a military family at many places on the east coast of the USA. He has a degree in computer science from Iona College 1990 with a minor in art/photography. He lived in NYC from 1995 to 2015 and then moved west to central California and now lives in Reno, Nevada. Bert is officially Norbert R. Ryan III


Animal Nerds Network is product of Clinic Nerds LLC, a Nevada company, based in Reno, NV. All rights reserved.

Bert Ryan is the founder and product designer.

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